World News

Syria: Air defenses respond to Israeli strike near capital

February 7, 2018

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria said Wednesday it has responded to "a new Israeli aggression" after aircraft targeted a military outpost near Damascus, claiming its air defense system destroyed most of the missiles.

State news agency SANA said air defenses confronted the Israeli planes, which it said were flying over Lebanese territory when they fired the missiles.

"Our air defense systems responded to missiles fired by the Israeli enemy air force from over Lebanese territory on a military outpost in Damascus countryside and destroyed most of them," an army statement said.

The Israeli military declined comment.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the Syria war through activists on the ground, said the airstrike targeted positions of the Syrian army and its allies in the area of Jamraya, northwest of Damascus, which is home to a government research center and was also hit in December.

Wednesday's report was the second such accusation in less than a month.

Syria's military on Jan. 9 accused Israel of launching missiles targeting military outposts in the area of Qutayfeh, in the Damascus countryside. The military said that attack caused material damage.

Israel has carried out dozens of airstrikes inside Syria in the course of Syria's civil war, against what it says are suspected arms shipments believed to be bound for Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group, which is fighting alongside Syrian government forces.